Hemerocallis plant named ‘R5’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct  Hemerocallis  cultivar named ‘R5’ is disclosed, characterized by its excellent landscape performance, resistance to daylily rust, deep red flower color, with a yellow throat and white wire line margin. Plants have long scapes and dark green, evergreen foliage. The new variety is a  Hemerocallis , normally produced as an outdoor garden plant.

Latin name of the genus and species: Hemerocallis hybrid.

Variety denomination: ‘R5’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The new Hemerocallis cultivar is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the inventor Philip Dale Westmoreland, in Southern Louisiana. The objective of the breeding program was to produce new Hemerocallis varieties with strong performance in the landscape. This includes such characteristics as clear color, repeat bloom over a long period, strong and upright flower scape, high bud count, fade resistance of blooms, foliage appeal, and maintaining plant vigor throughout the season in a general landscape environment where it may not get optimum care.

Since the advent of daylily rust, beginning in approximately 2000, caused by Puccinia hemerallidis, the top priority in the breeding program has been to develop seedlings with a high resistance to daylily rust, in addition to the previously cited characteristics. The selection process involves no application of fungicides on any cultivars in our hybridizing program. This practices results in a loss of many cultivars in the program, but is necessary to determine which varieties may be rust resistant.

All daylilies from this program are hybridized, evaluated, and multiplied in plastic nursery containers using pine bark screenings as a growing medium and using overhead sprinklers for irrigation. They are grown in full sun outdoors year round. Each cultivar selected was confidentially evaluated for a period of 5 to 10 years.

The cross resulting in the variety know as ‘R5’ was made during 2004. The seed parent is an unnamed, unpatented proprietary seedling, as is the pollen parent. The new variety was selected in September of 2007 by the inventor in a group of seedlings resulting from the 2004 crossing, at a commercial nursery in Franklinton, La.

Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar was first performed by root divisions at a the same commercial nursery in Franklinton, La. during 2007, and has shown that the unique features of this cultivar are stable and reproduced true to type over multiple generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The cultivar ‘R5’ has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, day length, and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘R5’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘R5’ as a new and distinct Hemerocallis cultivar:

-   -   1. Excellent landscape performance.     -   2. Deep red flower color, with a yellow throat and white wire         line margin.     -   3. Early to mid-season blooming.     -   4. Repeat blooming.     -   5. 26 inch scape.     -   6. Dark green foliage.     -   7. Highly resistant to daylily rust.     -   8. Evergreen foliage.

The inventor is unable to compare ‘R5’ to the parent varieties, as it is unknown which proprietary varieties are the actual parents.

COMMERCIAL COMPARISON

Plants of the new cultivar ‘R5’ are comparable to the well known, unpatented commercial variety Hemerocallis ‘Ming Toy’. The two Hemerocallis varieties are similar in most horticultural characteristics; however, the new variety ‘R5’ differs in the following ways;

-   -   1. Much larger flower.     -   2. Strong evergreen foliage. The comparator has small foliage         that goes dormant in Winter.     -   3. Rich blood red flower color. The comparator has rusty red         colored flowers.     -   4. Strong upright flower scape. The comparator has a weak flower         scape that may droop.     -   5. Rust Free.     -   6. Blooms for much longer period of time.

Plants of the new cultivar ‘R5’ can also be compared to the unpatented commercial variety Hemerocallis ‘Little Business’ These varieties are similar in most horticultural characteristics; however ‘R5’ differs in the following ways;

-   -   1. Much larger flower.     -   2. Strong evergreen foliage. The comparator has small foliage         that goes dormant in winter.     -   3. Strong upright flower scape. The comparator has a weak flower         scape that may droop.     -   4. Rust Free.     -   5. Blooms for much longer period of time.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPH

The accompanying photograph in FIG. 1 illustrates in full color a typical plant of ‘R5’ grown outdoors, in a 1 gallon pot.

Age of the plant photographed is approximately 1 year old. The photograph was taken using conventional techniques and although colors may appear different from actual colors due to light reflectance it is as accurate as possible by conventional photographic techniques.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart 2007 except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used. The following observations and measurements describe ‘R5’ plants grown outdoors in Camarillo, Calif. The growing temperature ranged from approximately 10° C. to 35° C. during the day and from approximately 5° C. to 23° C. during the night. General light conditions are bright, normal sunlight. Measurements and numerical values represent averages of typical plant types.

-   Botanical classification: Hemerocallis hybrid ‘R5’.

PROPAGATION

-   Root description: Rhizomes. Thick, typically colored near     Orange-White 159C. -   Propagation method: Rhizome divisions or tissue culture.

PLANT

-   Age of plant described: Approximately 12 months. -   Container size: 1 gallon. -   Growth habit: Evergreen semi-hardy perennial. -   Height: Approximately 40 cm to top of highest leaf. Approximately 70     cm to top of highest inflorescence. -   Plant spread: Approximately 50 cm. -   Growth rate: Moderate to rapid. -   Branching characteristics: Non-branching, forms basal clumps.

FOLIAGE

-   Leaf:     -   -   Arrangement.—Upright.         -   Average length.—Approximately 50 cm.         -   Average width.—Approximately 1.8 cm.         -   Shape of blade.—Narrow lanceolate.         -   Apex.—Acute.         -   Base.—Truncate.         -   Sheathing.—No.         -   Margin.—Entire.         -   Texture of top surface.—Glabrous with minute ridges.         -   Texture of bottom surface.—Glabrous with minute ridges and a             very prominent mid-vein.         -   Quantity of leaves per plant.—Average 24.         -   Color.—Young foliage upper side: Near RHS Green 137A. Young             foliage under side: Near RHS Green 137A. Mature foliage             upper side: Near RHS Green 137A, but darker. Mature foliage             under side: Near RHS Green 137A.         -   Venation.—Type: Linear. Venation color upper side: Near RHS             Green 137A. Venation color under side: Near RHS Green 137A.

FLOWER

-   Natural flowering season: Typically early Spring until Fall. -   Inflorescence type and habit: Single flowers occurring in clusters     of 3 to 6 on a scape. -   Flower longevity on plant: 2 to 4 days from fully opened. -   Quantity of open flowers per plant at one time: Approximately 3 to     12. -   Inflorescence size (excluding scape):     -   -   Height.—Approximately 18 cm.         -   Width.—Approximately 20 cm. -   Individual corolla:     -   -   Arrangement.—Rotate.         -   Size.—Length: Approximately 14 cm. Width: Approximately 10.5             cm at widest point.         -   Tepals per corolla.—6.         -   Margin.—Entire, with deep, even very attractive ruffling.         -   Tepal shape.—Ovate.         -   Apex.—Acute, ruffled.         -   Texture.—Glabrous, all surfaces. -   Color:     -   -   Tepals.—When opening: Outer surface: Near RHS Yellow-Green             154A. Inner surface: Near RHS Red 53A, inner eye, tube             Yellow 7A and Yellow-Green 154B. Fully opened: Outer             surface: Near RHS Green-Yellow 1B. Inner surface: Near RHS             Red 53A, but darker; inner eye, tube Yellow 7A and             Yellow-Green 154B. Thin, wire margin coloration White N155D.             Aging Flower color: Outer surface: Near RHS Green-Yellow 1B.             Inner surface: Near RHS Greyed-Purple N186C, inner eye, tube             Yellow 7A and Yellow-Green 154B. Thin, wire margin             coloration White N155D. -   Bud:     -   -   Shape.—Elongated and oblong.         -   Length.—Approximately 5.5 cm.         -   Diameter.—Approximately 1 cm.         -   Color.—Near RHS Yellow-Green 1C, slight flush Greyed-Purple             187B. -   Scape:     -   -   Length.—Approximately 65 cm.         -   Width.—Approximately 0.8 cm.         -   Angle.—Upright, straight.         -   Strength.—Very Strong.         -   Color.—Near RHS Green 137A, but darker. -   Peduncles:     -   -   Quantity per scape.—Typically 2 to 6.         -   Length.—Approximately 4 cm to 10 cm.         -   Width.—Approximately 0.5 cm.         -   Aspect/angle.—Approximately 45 degrees.         -   Texture.—Glabrous.         -   Color.—Near Green RHS 137A.

REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS

-   Stamens:     -   -   Number.—Average 6.         -   Filament length.—Approximately 8.5 cm.         -   Filament color.—Near RHS Yellow 4A, upper ⅓ flushed near Red             53A.         -   Anther length.—0.4 cm.         -   Anther color.—Near RHS Yellow-Orange 15D.         -   Anther shape.—Symmetrical and oblong.         -   Pollen.—Moderate. -   Pistil:     -   -   Number.—1.         -   Length.—Approximately 9.5 cm.         -   Style color.—Near RHS Yellow 13C.         -   Stigma.—Shape: Linear. Color: Near RHS Yellow 4A.         -   Ovary color.—Near Green RHS 137A.

OTHER CHARACTERISTICS

-   Seeds and fruits: None observed to date. -   Disease/pest resistance: Common to other Hemerocallis varieties. -   Temperature tolerance: Tolerates temperatures from approximately     below 0° C. to 35° C. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of Hemerocallis plant named ‘R5’ as herein illustrated and described. 